2 CRT or one 17in apple monitor?

Ok so I am getting a PowerMac G4...I just don't know what to get, two 19" Viewsonic monitors or one 17" Apple displays?
I am gonna use this for video editing and photoshop, I am aware that the two monitors will be more beneficial cause I will get more screen area. But, with the 17" apple display I will get one really nice stylish monitor that will hardely take up any space on my desk and it is more appealing to the eyes to work with.
Any advice/input will be appreaciated, thanks!

Originally posted by Wano Ok so I am getting a PowerMac G4...I just don't know what to get, two 19" Viewsonic monitors or one 17" Apple displays?
I am gonna use this for video editing and photoshop, I am aware that the two monitors will be more beneficial cause I will get more screen area. But, with the 17" apple display I will get one really nice stylish monitor that will hardely take up any space on my desk and it is more appealing to the eyes to work with.
Any advice/input will be appreaciated, thanks!

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Get one 17" now if that's all you can afford and add a second one later.

if you do color correction and need space for video go for the 2 monitors. but also i think you should get a cheapo 17 in crt and save some money and get the 20 inch.. nice realestate and even more style then 17 inch. plus wide sreen

Staff Member

Originally posted by Wano Ok so I am getting a PowerMac G4...I just don't know what to get, two 19" Viewsonic monitors or one 17" Apple displays?
I am gonna use this for video editing and photoshop, I am aware that the two monitors will be more beneficial cause I will get more screen area. But, with the 17" apple display I will get one really nice stylish monitor that will hardely take up any space on my desk and it is more appealing to the eyes to work with.
Any advice/input will be appreaciated, thanks!

Click to expand...

get the two 19".

The one 17" is nice... but you'll be much more productive with two 19"

As was alluded to in an above post, if you do alot of video work, and need accurate color representation-I would go for the 2 CRT monitors. As far as I know CRT monitors in general still beat out LCDs in that respect, especially for the price point...and from someone who does alot of video work, ARN is correct in saying two is better than one. In passing, I do not know what the effects(if any) there are from using the ADC connector with new monitors versus old analog connectors (I have a pre-ADC mac). Hope this helps. (P.S I really personally liked the last generation apple studio pro CRT monitors-I have 2-you can find them pretty cheap if you look around...). Lastly, I would just take the time out to look at the specs of various monitors (LCD/CRT) at various price points and see what the best compromise is between price/performance. Do try and go and actually look at some of these monitors if possible. As far as LCDs go, I've always liked Formac...sorry to ramble, hope this helps...

You could always go with the 17inch (or Better yet 20inch) Apple display and use a video-field monitor for the 2nd display (in final cut at least). This is the way I've always edited, and it works quite well.

CRT's... they may not be the 'coolest' thing, but they have better depth and higher pixel density, which would be better than an LCD. Plus you save money, which could be spent on more RAM which would help you the most.

Originally posted by Glossybear You could always go with the 17inch (or Better yet 20inch) Apple display and use a video-field monitor for the 2nd display (in final cut at least). This is the way I've always edited, and it works quite well.

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Yeah, I think that would work fairly well. Correct me if I am wrong, a video-field monitor is like a TV (sorta) that only displays the motion video from FCP instead of everything on the desktop? It also gives accurate color too, right?

Where can I find one and for how much?
How would I hook it up to the computer...do I need a video card?
Thanks!

A handy little trick that I use is I have an Apple 17" LCD Studio Dispay and a viewsonic 17" CRT.

That way I have more real estate, i kept my cost down, and it is EXCELLENT for colour calibration (Print output can be better proofed on the CRT) and I can also see how web graphics look on both a CRT and LCD, because people that view the one of the websites that I worked on will have one of the two.

It is also great for previewing timelines in Final Cut Pro. LCDs make the preview look so grainy, but the CRT is like a really high resolution television.

The biggest advantage of an LCD besides power consumption, space saving, and looking really sweet is, if you are into graphics and whatnot, it makes colours look really vibrant and they come to life. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it can be very inspiring if your work has life to it and it makes you want to keep creating.

Make a long story short, go with the 17" LCD and then you can add a display later. I was in the same position as you, I went on a gut, bought the LCD, and I LOVE IT. You DEFINITELY won't regret it.

Originally posted by Photographer Hi guys im just thinking about switching and saw this thread how can you connect and use two monitors as one? Im thinking two CRTs.

Cheers Mike

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All new PowerMacs have dual monitor support out of the box. Just plug in the two monitors and go. You just have to make sure you either have the right adaptors for the connectors or the buy the monitors with the right conectors to start with.

Actually you can even buy additional PCI Video Cards and plug additional monitors in and they will just work. No config needed though you can set them up how you want if need to. I think the max number of monitors is limited by availabe PCI slots and desk space.

Sorry, but it doesn't cost over a hundred bucks to plug in two CRT's to a PowerMac. I just bought one and have two non-Apple LCD displays hooked up to it. The Powermac comes with one adapter to VGA in the box and I purchased another one at the same time I bought my computer for $35. Viola.

I would probably go for the LCD, because they are just cool. They take less energy, they are lighter to move, take up less space, they don't have lead in them that will poison people once ending up in a landfill someday. And the other thing to consider is that you will keep them long after you have replaced your computer.

Then again, I wouldn't be so broke right now if I hadn't gotten LCDs. It's kind of a tough choice if money is a concern. Good luck with that.

I've got a 17" Apple Studio Display and an old 17" CRT both connected to a 1.25 MDD 2003. Works great. If you were going to connect two 19" CRT, you would have to spend $100 on an ADC to VGA adaptor (or add another video card?) so plan accordingly.

That's why I sprung for the Apple 17" because it has the ADC connector.

I have 2 17"'s and I work in FCP and I would never go any smaller for a video workstation. At least for video work computer monitor color accuracy isn't that imporant because it will always be wrong compared to what it looks like on a TV. That's why you'll always see NTSC (or PAL) monitors hooked up to editing workstations so the editor can see what his proejcet really looks like.

That beind said CRTs are more color accurate and LCDs so that's one reason why I'd rather have CRTs than LCDs right now.

Originally posted by Wano How much are the reference monitors?...and where can I buy em?

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B&H is always a good place to look for anything video related. As far as price goes... they cost as much as you are willing to spend (low end starts around $700). At home on my "after hours" stuff I use a an $85 13" Sharp TV. At work, well I freelance, so at work I use whatever they have (last job they had some JVCs but I don't remember the model #).

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